Life – Christine Smith

2024 in Review // Stories, Writing, Life, & Lessons

Post published:December 10, 2024
Post category:Encouragement Fangirling Life Reading
Post comments:8 Comments

2024. What a year it's been. I cannot claim it's been my favorite year. There have been a lot of hardships in these almost 12 months. But goodness has there been so much growth and blessings in all of it. The countdown to the end of 2024 is upon us, and as we're rapidly reaching 2025, I've been doing a lot of reflecting on the year. This year was one of stretching. Of finding contentment in the hardships, seeking peace in the storms, and being brave in each day. I cannot claim to have handled it all with grace and…

I live! // An Update, Know the Novel, & FicFrenzy

Post published:September 3, 2024
Post category:Life Writing
Post comments:20 Comments

Hey, friends! I do in fact LIVE. And I'm poking my head in from my hiatus for a little life update and to announce some exciting upcoming things. Whew. It's been quite the past couple of months. In my last post, I mentioned that I needed mitral valve replacement surgery. I am very happy to say that is over and done with! I had surgery on July 19th and have been recovering ever since. It wasn't all smooth sailing, but God was so good through it all. Strangely, the surgery itself was the easy part. I felt so much peace…

Mid-Year Update // Seasons, Rest, Surgery, and A Hiatus Notice

Post published:July 16, 2024
Post category:Life
Post comments:9 Comments

Happy July, friends! I am a bit (read: a lot) in shock that we are here at the halfway point of the year. But this seems like the perfect time to reflect on the year thus far and share some updates. 2024. Goodness, it is blazing by. So far it's been both a lovely year and a stressful one, but that's one thing I've been learning through this year: the most beautiful things are found in the hardships. So what has 2024 looked like thus far? It's been a creative one. After a writing break in December, my two co-writers…

Hello 2024 // Living Boldly

Post published:January 15, 2024
Post category:Life
Post comments:14 Comments

A most happy 2024!!! We've accomplished another year and have a brand new one with all manner of journeys ahead. That can be a little scary, definitely overwhelming, but also so very, very exciting. I will be honest, I didn't have the easiest December. Some deep insecurities that have been slowly rising to the surface burst out at the most inopportune time, life got stressful, and I struggled with one of the worst cases of creative block I've ever experienced. This eternal optimist who usually looks to the future with hope was having severe difficulty getting excited about anything. My…

2023 in Review // My Favorite Things, Writing Highlights, & Growth

Post published:December 4, 2023
Post category:Encouragement Fangirling Life Reading Writing
Post comments:9 Comments

2023—a year of unexpected blessings and reaching for new dreams and mourning losses and praising God for renewal and failing and learning and so very much growing. It was a year of life. And though some (read: many) days were hard, there were blessings in it all, and I am grateful for each day given. Somehow we have reached the final stretch of 2023 and I'm looking over at March like, "Weren't you just here?" But my word chosen to live by for 2023 was PRESENT. I tend to fly through my days, always looking ahead and never stopping to…

A Little Update + Hiatus Notice

Post published:July 24, 2023
Post category:Life Writing
Post comments:8 Comments

Hey, friends! It's been a while since I've talked about what's been going on in my corner of the world, so I thought I'd share a little (rambly) update today. Do settle in with your beverage of choice (I have coffee, surprise, surprise), and let's catch up! Life + Learning On the life-y side of things, there is nothing huge to report. Things have been fairly quiet, and yet feel busy at the same time? You know how life be. I've been anxiously awaiting fall because summer heat and I don't have the best relationship. At the same time, my…

Hello 2023 // Being Present

Post published:January 23, 2023
Post category:Life
Post comments:22 Comments

Happy, happy 2023, my friends! It is a little surreal that we are already here, but a fresh canvas spreads before us ready to be painted with endless possibilities, and I am excited. I know I've been rather quiet for the past few weeks which has been entirely purposeful. I continued my hiatus for the first part of January and since then have been easing back into a routine instead of diving headfirst into All The Things. And it's been good. Really good. There's this expectation, isn't there? The second the calendar switches to January 1st it's like we're expected…

2022 In Review // My Highlights and Favorite Things

Post published:December 12, 2022
Post category:Life
Post comments:18 Comments

2022 only has three weeks left! I do not understand how that is possible. It has been a blazing, whirlwind of a year but so much goodness came of it as well. So as we near its close, I'd like to look back at the highlights and reminisce. 2020 and 2021 were pretty tough years in many ways, and though 2022 had plenty of challenges, it was better, I think. Or perhaps my perspective of things has improved. These past few years have definitely been ones of learning, of adapting to changes and seeking the little good things amidst the…

A Little Update // Writerly Happenings, Fairy Godmothers, & a July Hiatus

Post published:June 29, 2022
Post category:Life Writing
Post comments:14 Comments

We have made it far, my friends. It is officially summer and 2022 has deemed itself halfway finished! Um yeah. I'm a bit confused how that's a thing. It's still totally March in my head. (Though the deathly high temperatures and excessive humidity seem quite aware that it is, in fact, summer, but we won't talk about that. >.>) Summer is very much not my favorite, but I've learned to find the joys in it. Long evenings and starry nights and movie marathons and swimming and ice cream and a general wild thrill in the air. There is something charming…

A Day as Alice // Celebrating 11 Years of Blogging Wonderland-Style

Post published:March 14, 2022
Post category:Life
Post comments:26 Comments

A most happy day, my friends! This very day marks 11 entire years since my very first foray into the world of blogging. And, of course, such a milestone deserves a little something special! To be honest, I'm rather flabbergasted. Exactly 11 years ago to the day, my first ever blog post was sent out into the vast world of the interwebz. ELEVEN YEARS. Sometimes it feels like being the Mad Hatter, forever stuck at tea time and the watch never moving. I could swear it was just yesterday I was that little 18-year-old dabbling into the world of blogging…